Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Promises: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Adam Wiles, Sam Smith & others

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 2018
  • Easy
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Left hand Sneaky heartbeatThe right hand sings the tuneChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Play the full song with sheet music

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Promises without reading music. The left hand plays sneaky heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2& · 4&), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Promises in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → Em7
RD4+E4 A4 A4 A4 G4 A4 G4 D4
LD3 D3
Bar 2
D
RA3+D4+E4
LD3 D3
Bar 3
C → Em
RG3+B3 E4 E4 E4 E4 G4 B4
LC3 C3 B2
Bar 4
Em7
RG3+B3+D4 E4 E4 E4 E4 G4 B4
LE2 E2

Promises accompaniment in letter notes

The D – Em7 – D – C – Em – Em7 loop with sneaky heartbeat in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → Em7
RD4+F#4+A4 E4+G4+B4
LD2 D2 E2
Bar 2
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2
Bar 3
C → Em
RC4+E4+G4 E4+G4+B4
LC3 C3 E2
Bar 4
Em7
RE4+G4+B4 C4 D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5
LE2 E2 E2
Bar 5
D → Em7
RD4+F#4+A4 E4+G4+B4
LD2 D2 E2
Bar 6
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D2 D2
Bar 7
C → Em
RC4+E4+G4 E4+G4+B4
LC3 C3 E2
Bar 8
Em7
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 E2 E2

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Promises

What are the letter notes for the Promises piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is D – Em7 – D – C – Em – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Promises?

The loop is D – Em7 – D – C – Em – Em7 (V – vi7 – V – IV – vi – vi7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Promises in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Promises?

Sneaky heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2& · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Promises easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Promises?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.